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POLLING
HEART: Via Talker Research, VERBATIM: “Older Americans over age 65 aren’t talking about heart valve health with their doctors — despite many receiving a new health diagnosis in the last year, according to a new national study. The survey of 5,000 Americans who are 65+ from all 50 states also uncovered that nearly nine in ten seniors (89%) believe regular heart health screenings are important as they age, but 84% have never talked with their doctor about getting screened for severe aortic stenosis, also known as heart valve failure.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4cCfohS
VACCINATION: Via Michigan Advance, VERBATIM: “In a survey of 2,964 adults over 50, 49% of individuals told the University of Michigan National Poll on Healthy Aging that it’d been more than a year since their last dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, while 15% never received the vaccine. When asked why they hadn’t received an updated dose, the most common reason people gave was that they did not think they needed an updated dose. Jeffrey Kullgren, a primary care physician at the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System and the poll’s director, told Michigan Advance that while it’s good news that many older adults have been recently vaccinated against COVID-19 and influenza, many of the answers from individuals on why they didn’t receive the vaccine were in conflict with public health guidances.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4qQVVh9
Check out all the episodes of Sunday Take on 830 WCCO. CLICK: https://fluence-media.co/3KsuDrZ
MEDICAID SUPPORTS HEALTH CARE FOR ALL OF US: Medicaid keeps Minnesota’s hospitals strong and ensures communities across the state have access to care. Policymakers must protect Medicaid so every Minnesotan — regardless of income or health status — can get the care they need, when they need it. LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/3FtrCuH (SPONSORED: Minnesota Hospital Association)
HEALTH IN MINNESOTA
FLU: In its weekly update out today, the Minnesota Department of Health reports 167 adult flu-related deaths, 4,594 hospitalizations, 240 school outbreaks, and 99 long-term care outbreaks. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/3Y10bib
INSURANCE COSTS: Via Axios, VERBATIM: “Health insurance costs ate up almost 9% of the median family income in Minnesota in 2024, according to a new analysis. Why it matters: The findings show how tough it can be to afford health care, even with insurance. Zoom in: The state-by-state breakdown of federal data by the Commonwealth Fund looked at how much people spent on premiums and deductibles before insurance starts to pay for medical services.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/46XdOn6
ENROLLMENT: Via MinnPost, VERBATIM: “Enrollment closed Jan. 15, and, according to MNsure, 139,251 Minnesotans signed up, an 8% drop compared with 2025. Given the eye-popping increase in monthly premiums, this 8% dip seems modest. But the decline does not account for tens of thousands Minnesotans who signed up for a less encompassing plan. Plus, it is too early to know how many people will lose coverage for not making premium payments.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4rXOu8H
NEXTGEN: Via Minnesota Hospital Association, VERBATIM: “Hundreds of students from across Minnesota were eager to explore careers in health care this week when they joined The Minnesota Hospital Foundation’s (MHF) inaugural Health Care Virtual Career Day on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. The event was designed for students, classrooms, and individuals interested in learning more about the wide range of career opportunities available in a hospital. The strong turnout highlights the growing interest in health care professions and the value of accessible, career-focused programming.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4tEP1hr
As Minnesota Legislators return to the Capitol, patients need their elected officials to support rural hospitals: Rural health care today is facing tremendous challenges, from treating older and sicker patients to navigating declining reimbursement and workforce shortages. But for people in rural Minnesota, having access to an urgent care clinic, cancer or preventative care in town is a lifeline. As the Minnesota legislature returns to the Capitol, patients need legislators to support policies that keep hospital doors open and healthcare accessible in greater Minnesota. Statewide, 18 hospitals are at risk of closing and 7 are at immediate risk of closing in the next 2-3 years. MORE: https://fluence-media.co/4kMcEko (SPONSORED: Essentia Health)
NATIONAL HEALTH ISSUES
PRENATAL CARE: Via Associated Press, VERBATIM: “Early prenatal care improves the chances of having a healthy pregnancy and baby. But a new federal report shows it’s been on the decline. The share of U.S. births to women who began prenatal care in the first trimester dropped from 78.3% in 2021 to 75.5% in 2024, according to data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday. Meanwhile, starting care later in pregnancy or getting no care at all has been on the rise.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4s5C8vr
ROUNDUP: Via The New York Times, VERBATIM: “President Trump issued an executive order late Wednesday aimed at spurring the domestic production of glyphosate, a widely used weedkiller that has figured in health lawsuits. The move immediately set off alarms among supporters of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s ‘Make America Healthy Again’ movement, and appeared to put Mr. Kennedy in an awkward position.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4aLAhF7
ANTIBIOTICS: Via Stat, VERBATIM: “In a bid to mitigate antibiotic resistance, the Food and Drug Administration has released guidance for drugmakers to define how long medically important antibiotics should be used in food-producing animals. But critics argue the effort fails to consider the impact on human health. The guidance, which was published last week by the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine, offers recommendations to drug companies for adding ‘duration limits’ to medically important antibiotics that are given to livestock for approved uses but do not currently have any specific timelines.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4aseSlm
SOCIAL MEDIA: Via Axios, VERBATIM: “Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Wednesday was grilled for past statements about his company’s role in child safety and knowledge of alleged harms. Why it matters: This is the first time Zuckerberg has faced a jury in a courtroom alongside families who say that Meta’s products harmed their children. This test case could determine the outcome of more than 1,500 other pending social media addiction cases that were consolidated from parents and school districts.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3MQ58Iw
NEW DRUGS: Via Associated Press, VERBATIM: “The Food and Drug Administration plans to drop its longtime standard of requiring two rigorous studies to win approval for new drugs, the latest change from Trump administration officials vowing to speed up the availability of certain medical products. Going forward, the FDA’s ‘default position’ will be to require one study for new drugs and other novel health products, FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary and a top deputy, Dr. Vinay Prasad, wrote in a New England Journal of Medicine piece published Wednesday.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4qHiWmn
FLU VACCINE: Via Stat, VERBATIM: “The Food and Drug Administration reversed course and told Moderna it would review its application for a new flu vaccine, the company announced Wednesday. The agency told Moderna earlier this month that it would not review the submission because of a dispute over the design of a clinical trial, sparking an industry backlash and raising questions about broader decision-making at the FDA. The decision was made by top agency official Vinay Prasad, who STAT previously reported had overruled career scientists in the vaccine center.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4tKS8ob
NIH: Via The Wall Street Journal, VERBATIM: “National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya will step in as acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, people familiar with the matter said, the latest move by the Trump administration to steady the leadership ranks at the Department of Health and Human Services. The White House and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. last week installed a new No. 2 at HHS and removed Jim O’Neill, who had been running much of the department’s day-to-day operations. White House and health officials are attempting to make Kennedy’s department avoid mistakes and run more smoothly ahead of this year’s midterm elections, The Wall Street Journal previously reported.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4qW69Nm
INNOVATION
STUDY: Via Mayo Clinic, VERBATIM: “Mayo Clinic researchers and collaborators have identified a previously unrecognized way lung tumors weaken the immune system, helping explain why many patients do not respond to immunotherapy and pointing to a potential new approach to make those treatments more effective. The study, published in Cancer Immunology Research, focuses on regulatory T cells, immune cells that normally keep the immune system from becoming overactive. In lung cancer, researchers found these same cells can be redirected to protect the tumor instead of the body.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4aHXt7a
AI: Via Merck & Mayo, VERBATIM: “Merck (NYSE: MRK), known as MSD outside of the U.S. and Canada, and Mayo Clinic, the world’s top-ranked hospital system, today announced a research and development agreement to apply artificial intelligence (AI), advanced analytics and multimodal clinical data to support drug discovery and development. The agreement integrates Mayo Clinic’s Platform architecture as well as clinical and genomic datasets with Merck’s ambition to harness AI-enabled virtual cell technologies to enhance disease understanding, improve target identification and drive early development decisions.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3OhFxZw
PASH: Via Minnesota Monthly, VERBATIM: “Before she became a nationwide force in mental health care, Erin Pash was the kid in the middle—literally, the middle child—who instinctively understood that everyone carries something unseen. That quiet empathy set her on a path from child psychology student to licensed marriage and family therapist, and ultimately, to co-founder of Ellie Mental Health: a model of care that made therapy feel less clinical and more human through approachable design, accessible services, and a hybrid business structure that empowered both clients and clinicians.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3OCBiaV
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
VISION: Via State University of New York, VERBATIM: “Myopia is skyrocketing around the world, often blamed on endless screen time — but new research suggests the real culprit may be something more subtle. Scientists at SUNY College of Optometry propose that it’s not just devices, but the combination of prolonged close-up focus and dim indoor lighting that may quietly strain the eyes. When we concentrate on nearby objects in low light, our pupils constrict in a way that may reduce how much light reaches the retina, potentially triggering changes that lead to nearsightedness.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4rKxGm9
INFLAMMATION: Via University College London, VERBATIM: “A new human study has uncovered how the body naturally turns off inflammation. Researchers found that fat-derived molecules called epoxy-oxylipins rein in immune cells that can otherwise drive chronic disease. Using a drug to boost these molecules reduced pain faster and lowered harmful inflammatory cells. The discovery could pave the way for safer treatments for arthritis, heart disease, and other inflammation-related conditions.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3ZLt56F
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